Cristiano DiGiacinto and Andreas Söderberg earned two match pucks. © GEPA pictures/ Gintare Karpaviciute
Foxes in ecstasy: Frigo opens the door to the finale
HCB Südtirol Alperia has taken the next step towards the final: Led by an outstanding Luca Frigo, the Foxes won the fifth game of this exciting best-of-seven series at Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday evening and can now play on Saturday in their home Sparkasse Arena close the bag.
March 28, 2024
From:
Leo Holzknecht
The fifth chapter of the semifinals revealed a well-known wisdom: Because the teams are so close together, the famous details make the difference. A stupid penalty here, a missed opportunity there, a fatal bad pass there: These things are particularly expensive in the playoffs. However, in the Salzburg ice arena, which was filled with 3400 fans, neither the Bulls nor the Foxes kept a clean slate in this regard. Time and again, inattention caused the momentum to shift to the other side. Ultimately it was the Foxes who acted cooler and deservedly retained the upper hand 3-2.
When the sixth game of the series takes place in Bolzano on Saturday at 18 p.m., the reigning champions cannot afford any more slip-ups. The HCB, on the other hand, is reaching for the second final in a row. 4500 tickets have already been sold for this duel. There is much to suggest that the Foxes will fight for a place in the final against EC KAC in front of a sold-out crowd.
Goal canceled, goal scored
The decisive scene of the evening occurred around ten minutes before the end. Philip Sinn scored from the blue line to make it 3-1 for the Bulls, who seemed to have everything under control up to that point. However, the referee team canceled the goal because it was offside the goal area. Just a few seconds later, thanks to an outstanding individual effort, Luca Frigo made it 2-2, which took the wind out of the Bulls' sails and gave the HCB a big boost. Dylan Di Perna, who had only hit the mark once throughout the season, let the Foxes fans who had traveled with him go wild shortly before the end.Mike Halmo and Chay Genoway fight on the boards. © GEPA pictures/ Gintare Karpaviciute
In addition to double goalscorer Luca Frigo, goalie Samuel Harvey should also be highlighted, who repeatedly intervened to save the game and saved the HCB from falling behind on several occasions. And of course Di Perna, whose shot into the top corner left an entire arena silent.
The highlights
Deserved 1:0 | The Bulls dominate the game in the early stages and consequently take the lead in the power play. Drake Rymsha's shot goes through the legs of Sam Harvey. Thomas Raffl skilfully blocked the view of the Bozen goalie. |
Tolvanen outstanding | The HCB is woken up by the goal. Angelo Miceli appears alone in front of the goal, but, like Luca Frigo, fails in the follow-up shot to Salzburg goalie Atte Tolvanen, who literally outgrows himself. |
Huber misses, Frigo scores | Mario Huber can run towards Harvey alone on a Meyer pass, but the Austrian's shot is too central. On the other hand, Angelo Miceli brings a puck to the middle, where Luca Frigo wins a duel and maneuvers the puck over the line. |
Fatal Gazley buck | Dustin Gazley misuses the puck in the power play, Dennis Robertson launches Mario Huber, who fakes a slap shot, which makes Harvey worth seeing and only has to push it into the empty goal. |
No goal or goal | First, the referees take back a goal from Philip Sinn. Shortly afterwards, Frigo makes Tyler Lewington look completely old and hits a beautiful backhand. |
Di Perna's shot at luck | Dustin Gazley passes for Dylan Di Perna, who takes the measure and hits the top corner precisely. Tolvanen's vision is blocked and he cannot react. |
Red Bull Salzburg – HCB Südtirol Alperia 2-3
RBS: Tolvanen (Kickert); Robertson-Murphy, Sinn-Genoway, Stapelfeldt-Lewington, Schreier; Raffl-Nissner-Schneider, Paul Huber-Wukovits-Hochkofler, Meyer-Rymsha-Mario Huber, Bourke-Baltram-Thaler, Auer.coach: David
HSBC: Harvey (Vallini); Di Perna-Vandane, Söderberg-Parlett, Teves-Pietroniro; Halmo-Ford-Gazley, Digiacinto-McClure-Thomas, Frigo-Mantenuto-Miceli, Brunner-Alberga-Frank, Felicetti.
coach: Hanlon
Gates: 0:1 Rymsha (8.14), 1:1 Frigo (35.27), 2:1 Mario Huber (39.55), 2:2 Luca Frigo (49.25), 2:3 Dylan Di Perna (56.57)
Viewers: 3400
Status in the series: 2:3
Edit Profile
You have to sign into use the comment function.
Comments (0)